Aiya Almogaber

Adam Padgett

English 102-125

April 12th, 2016

College Degrees: Worth it or Not?

In theory, everyone's ultimate life goal is to obtain a college degree. We go through years
and years of school just to turn around and do it again to hopefully be awarded with a signed
piece of paper. So, what then, even is a "college degree?" By definition, it is "a degree given to
students of higher learning institution signifying required credits have been obtained in specific
areas of study" [Webster]. Serious thoughts about attending a college/university usually begin
around the time you are half-way done with high school. As if hearing about your potential
future everyday is not enough, by the time senior year of high school arrives, students are
slammed with applications, deadlines, fees, scholarships, and standardized tests. Unlike high
school, however, college is not "mandatory" for anyone. You may choose to apply and attend or
you may choose not to. With that being said, what makes anyone want to attend college? What
are the most attractive features when choosing which one to attend? Why do people opt out of
attending college? On one hand, the outcomes of the degree can potentially provide opportunities
and privileges. On the other hand, the time and money spent on the degree can potentially lead to
nothing but debt. Which one outweighs the other?

Before delving into the broad question of how beneficial are college degrees? it is
important to understand the educational basis that precedes: high school. High school is a
stressful time. A recent study sampled 333 tenth and eleventh grade students to determine the
degree of stress experienced. Results revealed "the stressors highest in frequency reflected
concerns about one's future goals followed by several school-related items" [Children and Youth
Services Review]. In order to prepare for college, students work hard to make good grades for
the sake of being rewarded with scholarships. They join clubs and organizations within their
school in favor of growing their resumes. They take higher level classes to stand out among their
peers. But most importantly, students take standardized tests that are designed to "provide a
common measure of readiness for college-level study" [Atkinson, Richard]. Over the past
decade, these standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT have become a huge controversy.
Opponents argue that "America's overemphasis on the SAT is compromising our educational
system" [Atkinson, Richard]. Teachers in schools end up spending long hours every month
reviewing for the tests, but only in a way which increases the students' test taking abilities. All
things considered, proponents still agree that standardized testing is "a fair and objective measure
of student ability, that they ensure teachers and schools are accountable to taxpayers..." [ProCon].
Without them, how would colleges be able to compare hundreds of thousands of applicants'
preparedness for college? Although there is clearly room for improvement, it is evident that
standardized tests are fair. They are" inclusive and non-discriminatory since all of the content is
equivalent for all students" [ProCon]. Therefore, simply blaming the standardized test system is
not enough to undermine the benefits of a college degree.

Aside from all of the trivial popular excuses not to go to college, tuition (or the total cost
of attending a college/university) ranks one of the most profound. Unfortunately, college tuition
is only increasing as time goes on. According to the data from the Labor Department, the price
index for college tuition grew by nearly 80 percent between August 2003 and August 2013. It is
important to note, however, that even though tuition previously exceeded overall growth in the
last decade, it has slowed down in recent years. So, lets say you get into the college of your
dreams but the price tag of your dream school is hard to swallow. Most students know that their
parents will not be able to afford the tuition bill, and this is a common reality. Is this a valid
justification not to go? Of course not. There are many ways to find money to pay for the school
of your dreams. There are applications for funds, grants, work study, loans, payment programs,
crowd funding, and scholarships that are designed to help pay for school. Each year, the number
of high school students who are attending college increases against the fact that tuition continues
to rise. If you consider all of the combinations and varieties of financial aid available, you will
realize that they are all more accessible than every before.

The entire American Dream is basically structured around getting a college degree.
Go to college, get a job, buy a house, and raise a family [Education Corner]. Since Benjamin
Franklins time, Americans have valued a higher, practical education. Even though there are
nonfinancial benefits of going to college, economists have spent a lot of time studying the
monetary values that come with having a college degree. After considering that native ability,
motivation, personality, and family connections, as well as general education and major program
of study largely determine occupational choice, earnings, and success [Witmer, David] these
economists have come one conclusion: times are changing and jobs are becoming harder to get.

There have been recognizable advances in technology, and these advances are changing the
requirements for todays jobs. Neither a high school education nor an abundance of trade skills
are adequate enough or attractive enough for many employers who are looking to hire. In order
to be successful in the workforce, you must develop the ability to think critically, manipulate a
computer, and work collaboratively in a teaming environment [Citation]. Todays colleges help
to develop these skills, as well as strengthen your personal and business proficiency. Societies,
not just in America, are also becoming more diverse as time goes on. This diversity is seen in the
workforce as well, which means that the vitality of any management depends on the skill set and
experience of all of the employees. Throughout the course of a college education, you will have
the opportunity to learn from and gain insight from people of different backgrounds. This will, in
turn, diversify your intelligence and help develop a greater likelihood of being successful in any
business climate.

Having a college degree in America is a right and a privilege. It is imperative to aim to

get the most out of educational resources such as colleges and universities. Tana Sanderson,
author or The Great Debate Education vs. Experience, shares the same views. She compares
having experience in a specific field to having a specialized educational degree and which one
would be more valuable in the corporate world. She concludes that having a degree should
continue to be a requirement for all who seek higher success. Having experience without
education is insignificant in the market. Experience is only an attribute that employers seek.
Sanderson writes, A college grad, for an employer, is often a person who has proven academic
record, has mastered complex subject matter, has the ability to think analytically and logically,

and has been exposed to an intellectually stimulating environment [Sanderson, Tana]. Most
employers favor potential employees who were determined enough to earn a degree.

Still, with all of these resources and opportunities available through college, many people
still opt out of getting a collegiate degree. What is the argument here? The new book
Academically Adrift states that most students do not learn anything at all during the average sixyears they spend at so-called four-year colleges [Arum, Richard] At the current price of college,
analysts explain that it makes no economic sense to send most young-adults to college because
the investment is not profitable. About 40 percent of students do not make it through a four-year
bachelors degree program, and others who major in subjects with low vocational demands often
have trouble getting jobs [Vedder, Richard]. The average student loan debt today is above
$25,000 and on the rise. At the same time, opponents of getting a degree explain that high-paying
jobs are becoming scarcer, making the need to attend college diminish. On the contrary, there is a
definite correlation in the relationship between education and satisfaction with salary. The
Human Capital theory is a content theory of the economic value of a higher education to its
recipient or his employer [Marshall, Gordon]. Why does a higher education yield a higher
income? The degree course forms character, exercises the mind, and confers social status. When
compared, Lee Hansen discusses how between any two groups of individuals of the same age
and sex, the one with more education will have higher average earnings than the one with less,
even if the two groups are employed in the same occupational category in the same industry
[Blaug, Mark].

It is hard to believe that there are some people who never bother going to college end up
being so successful. According to an article from The Business Insider, the top three wealthiest
people who did not graduate from college were: Amancio Ortega, with a net worth of $25
billion from his source of wealth, Zara; Larry Ellison, who was a University of Chicago drop
out, with a net worth of $28 billion and his source of wealth was Oracle; and Bill Gates, whose
source of wealth is Microsoft with a net worth of $54 billion dollars and was a Harvard
University dropout. So if so little education got these people the success they have today, should
they be considered valid examples to base your own personal college decision upon? According
the The New York Times, a new set of income statistics answers those question quite clearly:
Yes, college is worth it, and its not even close. It seems that over time, all of the battles
undergraduate students face are highly rewarded with their four-year degree. Today, degrees have
never been more valuable. An analysis of the Labor Department Statistics by the Economic
Policy Institute even reveals that the pay gap between graduates and everyone else reached a
record high last yearAmericans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour
on average in 2013 than people without a degree. This is an increase from 89 percent five years
earlier! The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics took it a step further and compared salaries based on
level of education: no high school diploma, high school diploma, Associates degree, Bachelors
degree, Masters degree, professional degree, and Doctoral degree. The median salary per year
for each of these, respectively, are: $23,452, $33,176, $39,936, $54,756, $65,676, $86,580, and
$80,652.

At the end of the day, it is very evident that college degrees are worth it. There is
statistical logic behind going to college and earning a degree to give yourself more opportunities
for success in the future. These opportunities could range from business ventures, to friendships
that you would not otherwise make, to new strengths that you learn about yourself through
involvement with clubs and organizations. It is important that everyone strives to make it through
college and graduate with a degree because our nations economy demands that workers have
increasing knowledge skills, and abilities that are best acquired through postsecondary
education, says Puskar with Center for American Progress. Education provides a basis and a
foundation for these important skills. When people lack education, they lack the right
foundations, making the United States lose ground to countries that have prepared better for the
demands of a 21st century workforce and, ultimately, the United States economy and security will
be jeopardized [Puskar]. A study conducted by Georgetown Universitys Center on Education
and the Workforce suggests that as the world grows and advances, by 2020, 65 percent of all
jobs will require bachelors or associates degrees or some other education beyond high
school Conclusively, being exposed to and aware of all of the potential positives that come
along with having a college degree outweigh the vast amount of potential negatives that could
occur.

Works Cited

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Apr. 2016.

Atkinson, Richard. "Standardized Tests and Access to American Universities." EScholarship.

N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Witmer, David R. "Research: Is the Value of College Going Really Declining?" Change 8.11
(1976): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Butler, Nicholas Murray. "THE COLLEGE DEGREE." The Journal of Education 85.15 (2125)
(1917): 399-400. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Rawlins, V. Lane. "Discrimination, Achievement, and Payoffs of a College Degree: A

Comment." The Journal of Human Resources 9.3 (1974): 415-20. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Bracey, Gerald W. "Standardized Testing, Unstandardized Kids." The Phi Delta Kappan 71.9
(1990): 732-33. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.